1. Indifference to human suffering
a. Conservatives are indifferent, which takes two forms:
- The soft version – Life is unfair. Get over it.
- The hard version – If people are suffering, it’s their own damn fault.
b. Liberals are not indifferent to human suffering
- Yes, life is unfair. That’s why we should do something to address that.
2. Role of government:
a. Conservatives are against it always. (Of course, as Dean Baker and others often points out, that’s generally not true when it serves their people.)
b. Liberals are for it in a limited way (which distinguishes them from socialists).